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By Lawrence W. Teufel

A method to determine in situ stress directions and magnitudes from anelastic strain recovery measurements of oriented core has been used to determine the principal horizontal in situ stresses in the Rollins Sandstone in a deep well near Rifle, Colorado. The principal horizontal stress directions were determined directly from the principal horizontal strain recovery directions. The principal horizontal stress magnitudes were calculated from the principal strain recovery magnitudes, overburden stress, and Poison's ratio of the rock using a viscoelastic model. The accuracy of the in situ stress directions and magnitudes determined from anelastic strain recovery measurements was substantiated by a direct comparison with open-hole hydraulic fracture stress measurements. The anelastic strain recovery method predicted the magnitudes of the maximum and minimum horizontal principal stresses to be 54.5 MPa and 51.9 MPa, respectively; with an azimuth of N63ºW ± 8º for the maximum horizontal stress. The hydraulic fracture stress measurements yielded maximum and minimum horizontal principal stress magnitudes of 49.6 MPa and 46.8 MPa, respectively. The azimuth of the maximum horizontal stress ranged from N50ºW to N70°W.

Jan 1, 1984

By S. P. Burke

THE presence of gas in coal mines necessitates the use of costly ventila-tion arrangements and the use of expensive mining methods. On the other hand, the gas itself in many instances is of considerable intrinsic value, and its separate recovery might conceivably be a profitable under-taking. This paper is concerned with a study of the movement of gas in coal strata with the object of determining the laws governing gas move-ment and thus making at least a preliminary step toward the solution of the more practical problem of its control or recovery. Naturally, so important a subject has received much attention from scientists and engineers. In most cases, however, the studies have been concerned with the origin1?, the amount2, the composition3 and the method of retention4 of the gas in coal; or, from the more practical side, have been concerned with the phenomena and conditions associated with outbursts5 or explosions and their control. Numerous studies also have been made of the permeability of coal to gas6, of gas pressures measured in coal seams, etc. The authors are unaware, however, of any attempt to present a consistent or complete picture of the laws governing the movement of gas through the coal.

Jan 1, 1935

By R. C. Beckstrom

Russia's first "Petaletka'' has ended. Technically it did not succeed but practically it has been a great achievement in the petroleum industry. Out of the chaos of revolution and civil war Russia has developed her oil industry to second place in the world's production. For 1932 production of crude oil is estimated at 150,000,000 bbl. and refined products at 145,000,000 barrels. Russia has been able to give the petroleum industry every advantage that a government can extend to a fast growing industry. She has obtained all of her property by confiscation. Under government ownership, operation and control, her petroleum industry is not handicapped in any way by state rulings or by unnecessary competition in production, refining and marketing. There are no damage suits resulting from offsetting, flooding, repressuring, laying of pipe lines, building of docks or other necessary work. Russian oil fields2 have been easy to develop and operate. They lie advantageously to transportation for foreign markets. The chief disadvantages have been a lack of credit and technical cooperation, but the former is being overcome by the sacrifice of the people. They go without the comforts of life that all salable articles may be exported for the imports of modern machinery. Modern machinery is fast replacing the obsolete and worn-out equipment. Technical cooperation has been difficult because it has been necessary to train thousands of adults to do technical and mechanical work. Great quantities of pipe, tools and electrical equipment were necessary for the rapidly developing fields and refineries. The supplies have been inadequate and the quality poor. This lack of equipment, along with the untrained technical supervision, has been the cause of the proposed quota falling short. Fig. 1 shows the production for 1931 and 1932. During 1932 a large percentage of the oil was produced in the proven fields of the Caucasus.

Jan 1, 1933

By H. L. Sheakley, D. J. Coolidge

This paper does not deal with all sands used in the glass industry in Missouri; it covers only that used in the plate-glass factory at Crystal City. However, it is probably safe to say that other sands, pro- duced throughout the state for this purpose, are of identical nature. The glass sand used in Missouri is cornrnonly called the St. Peter deposit, which is ascribed to the Ordovician Rock series in the form of sandstone. This St. Peter deposit, aside from a few small outliers, covers a large area of eastern Missouri. It forms, through a broad curve, the northeast margin of the typical Ozark region between Cape Girardeau on the southeast and Mineola, Montgomery County, on the northwest. The belt is extremely irregular, varying from one to ten miles in width; its length is 150 miles in a straight line. The outcrop near the entrance to the Crystal City mine appears in the form of a sandstone bluff approximately 30 ft. high, running along Plattin Creek (Fig. I). Above the sand rock an overburden of Joachim limestone appears, which thickens to nearly 300 ft. and forms the hill commonly called Buck Knob. Test holes where drilled at various points and the drillers' log indicate that the St. Peter deposit ranges in thickness from 63 to 71 feet. Properties of the St. Peter Sand From an analysis of the glass sands of the St. Peter formation in Missouri, the follow-

Jan 1, 1948

By P. de Vitry, Willis P. Mould

The wire saw is a tool not less than 60 years old, probably nearer 100 years old. It was developed in Europe and is reputed to have originated in Belgium. Frombold is said to be the original patentee. Wire sawing equipment, as indicated in Fig. I, is very simple. It consists of a three-strand wire cable, usually pis or 1/4 in. in diameter, or a single flat ribbon of medium hard, tough, alloy steel twisted into a helix of those diameters, made to form an endless belt of any length up to several thousand feet. The wire is guided into the cut by sheaves mounted in slides on steel columns situated close to either end of the cut. The feed motion usually is controlled either by gravity or by hand-operated feed screws. The steel columns or "standards" range from 15 to 30 ft. in length. At the top is a swiveled arm supporting a sheave similar to the traveling sheave below. Immediately under the swivel-mounted sheave is a guy plate or collar with shackles attaching four chain or wire-rope guys with suitable tightening devices, or with two guys and two jack legs for supporting the standard vertically or at any desired anale. The usual drive is by a 10-hp. motor through a gear reducer, on which are Insti- two grooved sheaves, One of which is keyed and the other free running On the shaft. Tension is provided by a car running on a track in line with the driving sheave

Jan 1, 1948

By W. L. Grose, J. E. Nealy

A device developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines for the detection and quenching of coal mine explosions suffers from the inability to discriminate between the light emitted from hydrocarbon combustion and that emitted by electrical sparks and miner's cap lamps1. Since the quenchant device is activated by an internal explosive charge, the possibility of serious injury to nearby personnel demands a detector which can reject false signals. Described herein is a detector which can provide a rapid response signal upon the emission of radiation from hydrocarbon combustion and concurrently reject spurious signals from such sources as sparks and cap lamps. It was suggested that a detector might be developed to operate on the principle of monitoring the radiation intensity emitted from two separate spectral regions and ratioing the intensities2. A series of experiments was conducted for combustion of methane-air mixtures which demonstrate the ability of such a detector to discriminate between combustion and spurious signals. Experimental Apparatus A cylindrical (3.8 in. diam by 12 in.) stainless-steel shock tube test section was used as a combustion chamber. The test section was equipped with quartz windows (2 in. diam) on either side, a piezoelectric pressure transducer, and two steel electrodes. A 10-kv capacitor discharged across the electrodes provided a submicrosecond duration spark to ignite the gas mixture within. The desired partial pressures of methane and air were obtained by using a Wallace and Tiernan 0-800 mm Hg pressure gauge with which pressures could be determined to an accuracy of % mm Hg. All tests were conducted with a total pressure of 1 atm in the chamber. To

Jan 1, 1972

By James H. Allen

The development of large diameter rotary drilling techniques and equipment in the last nine years has been the main factor for the rapid advancement made by this method of shaft construction. In 1959, less than 5000 ft of large diameter hole was drilled in the United States for the mining and construction industries. By 1967, large diameter hole footage had increased to 117,000 ft. Part of the increase in footage for holes drilled represents AEC requirements due to the discontinuance of atmospheric testing of nuclear devices. The increase in footage for holes drilled for the mining industry can be attributed to cost savings of shaft construction by rotary methods as compared to conventional blasting methods. Until the late 1950's most large diameter holes were drilled with positive displacement rig pumps or air compressors, direct mud or air circulation, conventional sized oil well drilling strings, and multipass reaming techniques. In some very soft formations it was possible to run a pilot bit with one or more hole openers in tandem to drill the hole in a single pass. The main problem with single pass drilling using tandem hole openers was in providing sufficient circulation fluid for proper hole cleaning through conventional sized drill pipe.

Jan 11, 1968

By Bunting S. Crocker

In the summer of 1961, the Anaconda Research staff and Kilborn Engineering Ltd. began a study to investigate the possibilities of using some form of autogenous grinding in the new concentrator which Anaconda was planning to erect at Butte, adjacent to their Berkeley pit. The following criteria applied to the project: 1) The Butte mill was to be able to handle 36,000 to 42,000 tpd of copper ore, taken from the Berkeley pit and adjacent underground mines. 2) The plant was to be built in six units. 3) It would be started up two units at a time. 4) Equipment from the Anaconda mill was available for use in the new location. 5) Tonnage would be maintained at Butte and Anaconda, with equipment being moved down as required. 6) The ore from the Berkeley pit was known to vary widely from place to place in the pit and to be generally soft and friable.

Jan 5, 1964

By U. Paakkinen, P. Eerola

In connection with theoretical studies of the dynamics and control of the flotation process, flotation cells and circuits at the Pyha- computer control of selective Cu - Zn - Fe sulfide flotation in the latter half of 1969. In this paper, the practical conclusions of these studies, conducted through simulation techniques, are summarized. The application of these results for control purposes implies a knowledge of the dependence of the flotation rate coefficients and the grade of concentrate on several factors, including aeration rate, froth depth, and reagent consumption. The relationships found in laboratory and plant scale tests are described. Off-line optimization studies, based on the relation- ships, are also described. The proposed steps in executing the computer control schedule are presented. In the first stage, a stabilizing control will be carried out using feed-back loops. A feed-forward control system which utilizes simple process models will also be tested. After these elementary stages, a proposed mathematical model of the circuit will be checked out and implemented with computer- run, plant-scale process tests. Off-line simulation will be continued in advance development of the control system. As a final step in the program optimal control of the process will be carried out through this model.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. B. Goddard

In situ leaching of uranium by aqueous ammonium carbonate containing oxygen or hydrogen peroxide as oxidant results in the partial dissolution of sulfides. While some of the sulfide sulfur is oxidized to sulfate, a considerable portion is oxidized only to thiosulfate and polythionates. Polythionates poison the ion exchange resin used to extract uranium. At the Palangana operation in south Texas, the trithionate ion (S3062-) was found by infrared spectrometry to be the major resin poison. Treatment of ion exchange feed solutions with hydrogen peroxide only resulted in partial conversion of reduced sulfur species to sulfate. Trithionate conversion was particularly slow. Poisoning of the resin also occurred from the ammonium chloride eluant, which built up trithionate because of recycling. This was essentially eliminated by chlorinating the eluant before yellow cake precipitation.

Jan 1, 1986

By J. P. Carson

(Read at the Wilkes-Barre Meeting, May, 1877.) THE works of the Tula Iron Company are in the Republic of Mexico, State of Jalisco, twenty-eight leagues southwest of Guadal¬ajara, ten leagues northwest of the town of Sayula, through which passes the projected line of the Mexican National Railroad. Its geographical position would be about: latitude, 20° 10' N., longi¬tude, 4° 35' W. of Mexico City. The surrounding country is a roll¬ing plateau, 6000 feet above the sea, enjoying the most magnificent climate in the world, the average temperature being about 70°. The works were commenced in 1850 by a company with very small capital, having not the least idea of the undertaking. They soon fell into the hands of the money-lenders, and after changing

Jan 1, 1878

By H. H. Haung, J. D. Miller, E. F. Pereira

The chemistry of copper extraction from ammoniacal solutions by hydroxyoxime extractants was studied Equilibrium measurements were made by shakeout experiments with subsequent analyasis of the aqueous and/or organic phases The kinetic experiments were carried out in a single drop reaction cell in order to establish the details of the intrinsic reaction kinetics for this system. Equilibrium measurements Indicated that the extraction involves complete displacement of ammonia ligands from the coordination sphere of the cupric ion by the extractant molecules The extraction reaction has the following stoichiometry

Jan 1, 1981

By P. de Vitry, Willis P. Mould

The wire saw is a tool not less than 60 years old, probably nearer 100 years old. It was developed in Europe and is reputed to have originated in Belgium. Frombold is said to be the original patentee. Wire sawing equipment, as indicated in Fig. I, is very simple. It consists of a three-strand wire cable, usually pis or 1/4 in. in diameter, or a single flat ribbon of medium hard, tough, alloy steel twisted into a helix of those diameters, made to form an endless belt of any length up to several thousand feet. The wire is guided into the cut by sheaves mounted in slides on steel columns situated close to either end of the cut. The feed motion usually is controlled either by gravity or by hand-operated feed screws. The steel columns or "standards" range from 15 to 30 ft. in length. At the top is a swiveled arm supporting a sheave similar to the traveling sheave below. Immediately under the swivel-mounted sheave is a guy plate or collar with shackles attaching four chain or wire-rope guys with suitable tightening devices, or with two guys and two jack legs for supporting the standard vertically or at any desired anale. The usual drive is by a 10-hp. motor through a gear reducer, on which are Insti- two grooved sheaves, One of which is keyed and the other free running On the shaft. Tension is provided by a car running on a track in line with the driving sheave

Jan 1, 1948

By Mark Malamphy

DURING colonial times, Brazil was famous for the richness of her alluvial gold deposits. Paul Ferrand has estimated that the gold produced during the period from 1700 to 1820 was the equivalent of some 64 million pounds sterling. Since that time, most of the more prolific alluvial deposits have been exhausted. A few gold mines are still func-tioning, notably the Morro Velho mine, which is one of the deepest mines in the world. Today, the gold production of Brazil is insignificant when compared with world figures, but there are still many gold-bearing regions and it is probable that in at least some of them profitable returns would result from an exploitation program taking advantage of all the most modern innovations in gold mining and ore treatment on a large scale. In order to demonstrate the value of some of these abandoned pros-pects and stir up interest in increasing the national gold production, the government has stimulated research. Experimental plants have been and are being established in various places, and tests on large quantities of ores are being carried out on a semicommercial basis. The Geological Survey of the State of Minas Geraes is very active in this line and the Federal Institution is also showing an increased interest in the matter.

Jan 1, 1934

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) IN metallurgical circle it is. known widely, but somewhat vaguely, that the ease of reduction of metallic .oxides. depends largely on the way they have been prepared. It is likewise known that. different forms of carbon have different and greatly varying reducing powers. It is the purpose of, this paper to show somewhat more definitely and scientifically these facts. Sonic years ago the writer published an account of pyrometric determinations of the reduction temperature of zinc oxides variously prepared and of several kinds.1 In said paper it was shown that the temperature at which zinc oxide evolves zinc according to the equation, ZnO+C? Zn+CO depends upon the nature of -the two reacting bodies. The determinations bad a range of accuracy of from 2°to 6°C.,whereas differences were found to, amount to an extreme of 90° C. So the differences are real ones and must have a definite cause. The equation of boiling water, (H2 O)4 = 4 (H20) has a fixed temperature for? equilibrium of 100° C. at 760 mm. pressure. In general, all equations reacting in the liquid or the gaseous phase have well-defined constant physical conditions which govern the equilibrium point and reaction velocities.

Jan 7, 1913

By A. M. Gaudin, Olav Mellgren, P. L. De Bruyn

In commonly used to prepare the surface of the mineral to be floated so that attachment to air takes place. The quantity of agent required to make the mineral hydrophobic is usually very small, of the order of 0.1 to 0.25 lb per ton of mineral. Details of the mechanism of pyrite collection are for the most part unsettled. Adsorption of collector has long been believed to involve an ion exchange mechanism as demonstrated for galena' and for chalcocite. In the work on chalcocite it was also demonstrated that a film of xanthate radicals unleachable in solvents that dissolve alkali xanthates, copper xanthate, or dixanthogen was formed at the surface of the mineral. The unleachable product increased with increasing addition of xanthate up to a maximum corresponding to an oriented monolayer of xanthate radicals. Pyrite is extremely floatable with xanthate if its surface is fresh,,' but the floatability decreases rapidly as oxide coatings increase in abundance. Pyrite shows zero contact angle when in contact with ethyl xanthate solution at pH higher than about 10.5; at neutrality. a contact angle of 60° is obtained at a reagent concentration of 25 mg per liter. Alkali sulfides and cyanides are pyrite depressants.

Jan 1, 1956

By Arthur S. Wright

THE accuracy of the silver-assay depends in great measure upon a careful regulation of the heat of the muffle during the process of cupellation. At the beginning of the operation, a relatively high temperature is required to " open " the lead buttons, that is, to clear off the black film of oxide that covers the surface of the metal button immediately after fusion has taken place. The muffle is usually closed up until the buttons are uncovered. As soon as a clear, free surface of molten metal is exposed to the oxidizing action of the air, the temperature should immediately be lowered to the minimum temperature at which the formation and absorption of litharge can progress freely, and the buttons still be kept from " freezing." The process, under satisfactory conditions, will be characterized by the formation of rings of litharge crystals (" feathers," as they are styled), on the cupel, about the oxidizing globule; and the nearer these rings of litharge crystals call be made to approach the central oxidizing globule without interfering with the freedom of oxidation and absorption, the smaller will be the volatilization of silver, and consequeiltly the greater the degree of accuracy attained. This minimum heat must be maintained uniformly during the oxidation of the lead; and just as the last of the lead is disappearing, and the button is preparing to l blick," the temperature of the muffle should be allowed to rise so that the last traces of lead will be driven off. This regulation of the heat calls into play all the skill of the assayer, and requires a vigilant eye, able to distirlguish between the slightest variations of temperature of the muffle, assisted by a nice adjustment of fuel and draft. With a few cupels in the muffle at one time, the proper heat for each cupel can be maintained by roughly approximating the proper temperature, and then moving the cupels backward and forward in the muffle; but this is gene-

Jan 1, 1897

By Georges Fleming

The new burden preparation plant of ARBED Luxembourg, Belval- Works, which comprises 2 large sinter strands, is equipped with a process computer connected to a comprehensive process control system. The main jobs done by the computer are the control of the raw mix composition, and thus the monitoring of the stacking of the piles at the bed-blending plant, and the optimization of the sintering process. Among the optimization criteria, quality is considered as the most important. The sinter quality, characterized by the mechanical strength and the state of oxidation, is controlled automatically. The control system which we have dev loped is highly reliable; as a result, the standard deviation of Fe++, for the control of bivalent iron, has been narrowed to 0,5 % and the standard deviation of the IS0 + 6, 3 mm index, for the control of the mechanical strength, has been kept within 1 %. Thanks to these results, the combined savings in fuel consumption at the sinter plant and at the blast furnaces have covered the total costs of the optimization project in 2 years. By applying automatic control, the optimum driving range of the sinter plant has been defined and these new guidelines are used for monitoring the sinter production.

Jan 1, 1977

By C. B. E. Douglas

In an interesting article on evaluation of the water problem at Eureka, Nev., W. T. Stuart describes how a difficult water problem, or one phase of it, may be evaluated by means of a small scale test. Test data are plotted by a method rendering, under certain conditions, a straight-line graph that can be projected to show how much the water table will be lowered by pumping at any specified rate for a given time. A formula is then used to determine the size of opening, or extent of workings, necessary to provide sufficient inflow to enable pumping to be maintained at that rate. At first glance this might seem the answer to a miner's prayer, but a word of caution is in order. It may not be the whole answer. Moreover, results obtained by the method described are reliable only for conditions approximating those assumed. Even where conditions do not meet this requirement, however, it may be possible to draw helpful inferences from the results, perhaps enough to facilitate another approach to evaluation of a problem.

Nov 1, 1955

By Robert N. Eli

The application of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to support the planning, design and analysis of coal mines is discussed. Traditional two-dimensional GIS structures are modified to produce a three- dimensional GIS system that combines the efficient topologic description of a cubic grid cell skeletal structure with the precision surface representation of a Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN). The surface terrain and any subsurface strata, such as a coal seam, are represented by separate TIN'S. Any attribute data to be assigned to the TIN'S are stored in polygon overlays. Any remaining spatial data are stored as link strings or nodes in a global data set. The most valuable application of the system is the production of map products. Both projections and cross-sections of surface or subsurface structures are possible, in either horizontal or vertical planes. Engineering data, including lengths, areas, or volumes, can be calculated.

Jan 1, 1983